In this Review of Professor Rachel Barkow's new book, Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration, I address Professor Barkow’s point about law enforcement resisting criminal justice reforms. I place particular emphasis on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) and the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys’ (NAAUSA) opposition to nearly any federal criminal justice reform. Federal prosecutors often claim that they just enforce the law—no more, no less. But their actions show the contrary. Through presidential administrations of both parties, the DOJ and the NAAUSA have affirmatively opposed most federal criminal justice reforms on issues involving sentencing, corrections, and clemency. Oftentimes they weigh in on issues for which their prosecutors have no expertise. Even worse, they have thwarted the goals of the very presidents they serve, especially if the president sets out to reform the system in ways that infringe on the DOJ’s prerogatives. If their opposition to reform were rooted in public safety or fairness, that would be one thing. But through their lobbying efforts, they often advocate for policies that make it easier for federal prosecutors to charge and incarcerate people—as if that is the only worthy goal of the federal criminal justice system. And all too often federal policymakers—whether members of Congress, the White House, or the U.S. Sentencing Commission—have listened. As a result, there are now nearly 4,450 federal statutes and hundreds of thousands of federal regulations carrying criminal penalties, excessively punitive federal sentences, and a federal prison population that has increased by 618 percent since 1980.

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对司法部刑事司法政策专业知识的错误信任

在 Rachel Barkow 教授的新书《政治犯：打破大规模监禁的循环》的这篇评论中，我阐述了 Barkow 教授关于执法抵制刑事司法改革的观点。我特别强调司法部 (DOJ) 和美国助理检察官全国协会 (NAAUSA) 反对几乎任何联邦刑事司法改革。联邦检察官经常声称他们只是在执行法律——不多也不少。但他们的行为恰恰相反。通过双方的总统行政部门，司法部和美国国家劳工局在涉及量刑、更正和宽大处理的问题上坚决反对大多数联邦刑事司法改革。通常，他们会在检察官没有专业知识的问题上权衡利弊。更糟，他们阻碍了他们所服务的总统的目标，特别是如果总统开始以侵犯司法部特权的方式改革系统。如果他们反对改革的根源在于公共安全或公平，那将是一回事。但是通过他们的游说努力，他们经常倡导使联邦检察官更容易指控和监禁人们的政策——好像这是联邦刑事司法系统唯一有价值的目标。联邦政策制定者——无论是国会议员、白宫成员还是美国量刑委员会——都经常听取意见。结果，现在有近 4,450 条联邦法规和数十万条联邦法规载有刑事处罚、过度惩罚性的联邦判决、